PQ Media: US Digital Media Usage to Rise 7.3% in 2015-19 Period to 23.9 Hrs Weekly, More Than Double 2009 Level; Traditional Media Usage to Decline 2.1% by 2019

February 02, 2016 --

!-- AddToAny BEGIN -->

Stamford, CT (PRWEB)February 02, 2016

US consumer digital media usage will rise at a 7.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the 2014-19 period to an average of 23.9 hours per week in 2019, more than double the average time spent with digimedia in 2009, according to PQ Medias annual KPI benchmark series tracking digital and traditional media usage. US digital media usage rose 7.1% in 2015 to 18.0 hours weekly, following a 9.6% increase in 2014, driven by higher smartphone and tablet penetration, the launch of new gaming consoles, and the impact of major political and sporting events, according to the new Global Consumer Media Usage & Exposure Forecast 2015-19.

The fastest-growing digital media channel in the US was mobile audio, with consumer usage surging 33.5% in 2015, fueled by the growing use of music subscription services such as Spotify. Mobile video usage jumped 26.9%, as telecommunications providers like Verizon began offering promotional plans on tablets and smartphones to offset declining data plan prices among its competitors.

Digital media usage accounted for 27.7% of overall US media consumption in 2015, up from 17.3% in 2009, as Americas 18.0-hour weekly average led the world in total time spent with digimedia, despite a US computer penetration level that stood at only 80%.

Meanwhile, traditional media usage in the US declined 2.4% in 2015 to 46.8 hours weekly, and it will decrease at a 2.1% CAGR through 2019, a drop of more than 10 hours per week since 2009, according to PQ Media. Television remains the leading combined traditional and digital media silo of choice in the US, with the average consumer viewing 32.4 hours per week, or 50.2%, of all media consumption, driven by the expansion of devices consumers can use to access programming, including TV sets, OTT video, laptop computers and smartphones, accentuated by the increase in scripted shows created for non-TV sets.

Increasingly, online and mobile media usage is being driven by the digital brand extensions of traditional media, driving up overall media usage as more content is repurposed for digital devices, such as internet and mobile video streaming of TV programs and movies; online radio stations; web-based multiplayer editions of console videogames; and mobile newspaper and magazine apps, said PQ Media President & COO Patrick Quinn.

Nevertheless, the increased availability of other media content, such as user-generated content, as well as younger demos watching less TV will result in total TV usage accounting for less than half of all US media consumption in 2017 for the first time since 1953, when radio was the dominant media choice.

Gen-X consumers are the heaviest digital media users in the US, running up an average of 25.3 hours a week in 2015, while the Great Generation are the lightest users at 13.2 hours. End users in the iGen group, the youngest demo, expended 39.5% of their total time spent with media on digital formats, the highest share of all five social generation categories, according to the Global Consumer Media Usage & Exposure Forecast 2015-19.

Combined digital and traditional media usage in the US inched up 0.1% in 2015 to 64.7 hours per week, and it will rise at a CAGR of 0.7% in the 2015-19 period to 67.0 hours.

The new edition of the Forecast examines the 2009-19 period, including 2009-14 actuals and 2015-19 forecasts, with more than 850 tables, charts and graphs in a 420-slide PowerPoint deck featuring more than 230,000 data points. In addition, end-users can drill down into the Top 15 Global Markets with a Value-Add Excel Databook, which provides hundreds of datasets, market-specific insights and 5-year projections. To download a free executive summary, table of contents and sample datasets, please visit: http://www.pqmedia.com/gcmuef-2015-2019.html

About PQ Media:

PQ Media is a leading provider of actionable competitive intelligence and strategic guidance to some of the worlds top media, entertainment and technology organizations. PQ Medias proprietary methodology, databases and opinion leader panels prepare management teams with intelligent data and analytics they need to make smarter business decisions.